Quote Of The Day By Marcus Aurelius: 'There Is A Limit To The Time Assigned You, And If You Don't...'

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Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, and arguably one of the better ones (many of them have a pretty bad rap). He rose to power in 161 AD after his uncle, Emperor Antonius Pius, died. Aurelius ruled during a turbulent time for Rome. His reign included the raging of the Parthian and Germanic wars as well as the devastation of the Antonine Plague. In fact, it's been rumored that Aurelius himself succumbed to the disease, though the exact cause of his death on March 17, 180 AD remains unknown. Sadly, the emperor was only 58 years old when he passed away. 

Aurelius' writings, which were published as "Meditations" in later years, were never meant to be read by anyone else. The manuscript consisted of his own personal ponderings on how to conduct himself in the world. Now, it is one of the most popular books studied in the modern age by those who seek wisdom for their own lives. It is from these writings that we pulled today's quote.

"There is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don't use it to free yourself it will be gone and never return." Marcus Aurelius penned this warning in his collection of personal notes, which was subsequently published as "Meditations." The Roman emperor appeared to be every bit the stoic during his lifetime, and this, in part, can be attributed to the fact that he had a stoic philosopher mentor, named Gaius Claudius Maximus. 

From him, Aurelius learned how to enjoy the things in life that often pass us by, like joy and humor. This specific quote from the famous leader's writings urges the reader to remember that their time on earth is finite, and we have an obligation to use it wisely.

Marcus Aurelius understood something many of us know but often fail to implement in our own lives: We have complete control over how we spend our time. We choose whether to use it to do the things we love, with the people we love, on our jobs or our hobbies. And in this modern age, we also often choose to spend it scrolling mindlessly on our phones for hours on end. That time is given to us freely and, as we so often do with things that seem to be free, we squander it without much thought as to what the consequences might be.

Most people have dreams and ambitions they claim not to have the requisite time to pursue. We can feel trapped in our circumstances because of what we perceive as time constraints, but Aurelius' quote reminds us that the time assigned to us can be used to free ourselves from the things and circumstances we don't want, but we have to come to the realization that we have the power to use our time to change them. If we don't act, the time will pass anyway, and we will look back and realize we did nothing of significance with it.

Aurelius certainly left his mark on the world. He was known as one of "five good emperors," and since the Stoic philosopher perceived so much tumult during his reign, it makes sense that he honored time, and the things that can be accomplished with it, especially when it comes to discovering and living as your true self, free from the constraints of the world. We, too, can benefit from taking stock of how we spend our time, and how it impacts our future.

• "Everything that happens is either endurable or not. If it's endurable, then endure it."

• "Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself."

• "To live a good life: We have the potential for it. If we learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference."

• "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly."

• "You shouldn't give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don't care at all."